The Golden State Warriors have suffered another injury with Stephen Curry limping off the court with 35 seconds left in their 104-100 loss to the Houston Rockets last night. According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater this morning, Curry has been diagnosed with a right quad contusion.
How Do The Warriors Replace Stephen Curry During the Latest Injury
Golden State dominated the first half of last night’s game and took a 59-47 lead into halftime behind Jimmy Butler’s 13 points and four assists. The Warriors, who led by as many as 14 points, saw their lead shrink to two at the end of the third. The Rockets completed their comeback early in the fourth, scoring nine of the first 11 points in the quarter.
Trailing by eight with over nine minutes left, Golden State kept things close the remainder of the quarter, even taking a one-point lead with five minutes to go. But the Rockets responded to an 11-4 run over the next four-plus minutes for a 99-93 lead. Curry, who finished with just 14 points, sank a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to four with 48 seconds on the clock, though he left the game 13 seconds later during a timeout.
According to The Athletic’s Nick Friedell, Curry was really hurting and spent the entire timeout talking to Warriors trainer Rick Celebrini. Friedell added that Celebrini and Curry headed back to the locker room before the final buzzer.
There was no word on how Curry suffered the quad injury. But he was involved in two collisions in the fourth quarter. The first occurrence was when Curry attempted to draw a charge on Amen Thompson. The second collision happened a few plays later when Curry drove in for a layup and ran into a Rockets’ defender.
Curry was scheduled to have an MRI today to confirm the diagnosis and determine the severity of the injury. Apparently, the MRI confirmed the diagnosis as ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Warriors believe that Curry avoided a serious injury. Still, his return will depend on how the quad responds to treatment.
Stephen Curry Likely To Miss At Least 3 Games
“The Golden State Warriors anticipate Stephen Curry will miss around a week or a little more with a quad contusion suffered Wednesday night, sources tell me and@anthonyVslater,” Charania tweeted. He’s believed to have avoided any serious issues. The return will depend on how the quad responds to treatment.
According to the Warriors’ timeline, Curry will likely sit out at least three games — vs. New Orleans (November 29), vs. Oklahoma City (December 2), and Philadelphia (December 4). Perhaps the earliest that Curry will be back in action is the first weekend of December, when the Warriors are in Cleveland (December 6) and Chicago (December 7). The Warriors are then off until December 18, when they conclude their four-game trip in Phoenix.
Curry has been pretty healthy the last couple of seasons, though he has already sat out four games. However, throughout his career, he has dealt with several injuries and has missed over 250 contests.
With the loss to Houston, Golden State falls to 10-10 on the campaign. The Warriors sit in eighth place in the Western Conference with a +0.7 scoring margin. The Warriors are just 4-8 on the road and own an identical 5-5 record against teams with a winning and sub—500 mark.
Granted, the Golden State has yet to have a full squad, but the Warriors do have plenty of issues. Through the first 20 games, the Warriors have lost 48 games to injuries, including De’Anthony Melton, who has yet to play.
Who Will Replace Steph Curry?
Putting the ball in the basket has been a major issue for the Warriors. While Curry and Butler are doing their things, Jonathan Kuminga is the Warriors’ third leading scorer at 13.2 points, and he has missed seven contests. The Warriors are 22nd in the league in offensive efficiency, ranking 23rd in shooting percentage (45.3%) and 26th in turnovers (16.6). In addition, as in the past several years, the Warriors have struggled on the glass.
It will not be easy for the Golden State to replace Curry, especially if none of the other injured players return for Saturday’s game against the Pelicans. Curry was not the only Warrior to leave the game against Houston early. Gary Payton II left the game in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle and didn’t return. Melton, Kuminga, and Al Horford all sat out the game against the Rockets.
“If Steph has to miss [time]?” Steve Kerr said last night, per Slater. “It obviously changes everything — our rotations, how we’re playing, who we are playing through. We’ll see.”
Gary Payton II Also Left the Game Against the Rockets
Payton is expected to be listed as questionable for the game on Saturday at the very least. Melton could also be available against the Pelicans as the Warriors recalled him from their G-League club in Santa Cruz on Wednesday after Kerr watched him practice with Santa Cruz at the Chase Center.
“(Melton) looked excellent. He’s moving well. The toughest challenge for him will be rhythm,” Kerr told Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. “We’re excited to get him back. He’s a two-way player, and he’s a great decision maker. We know he’s going to help us take care of the ball and often guard the other team’s quick point guards. So, he’s going to help us for sure.”
Melton, who participated in the scrimmage for a couple of quarters, wasn’t the only Warriors player to participate in the practice with Santa Cruz yesterday. Kumminga saw about 15 minutes of action in the scrimmage and looked good, according to Kerr. Based on what Kerr told Gordon, the 23-year-old — who is dealing with bilateral knee tendinitis — may also be ready to return by Saturday. However, he is not slated to return until early next week.
Warriors Options
Golden State is 1-3 without Curry this season. In those four games, the Warriors were outscored by an average of 110.7 to 107.5, while connecting on just 41.4% of their shots from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. However, Butler, Green, and Horford also missed two of those games while Kuminga sat out one game.
Brandin Podziemski started the four previous games that Curry missed. So, he is the obvious choice to start at the one. The 22-year-old played exceptionally well in Curry’s absence, averaging 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists with shooting splits of 47/52/88. He produced one double-double, though defense is an issue for the youngster.
The injury will also prompt Kerr to decide who to pair alongside Podziemski. It will likely be Moses Moody, though. If Kuminga can go, then Butler could slide to the backcourt. Moody and Podziemski started together in three of the four games that Curry missed this season.
Warriors Projected Starting Lineup and Rotation With Curry Out
Kerr will likely extend his rotation, even if Kuminga and Melton return, as both players will likely be on minutes restrictions, specifically Melton. Horford will not be available against the Pelicans, as it is the third game he has been ruled out for due to sciatica. However, Horford could miss more time.
Starting Five: Podziemski, Moody, Will Richard, Butler, and Draymond Green
Second unit: Quenten Post, Buddy Hield, Kuminga, Payton II, and Melton
Extras: Horford, Pat Spencer, and Gui Santos
© David Gonzales, Imagn Images
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